How To Clean Your Bathroom Like A Pro!

Earlier this week I talked about my efforts to “throw in the {paper} towel” in 2012. It got a lot of people talking! I was surprised at how many people were already doing this…and had been for some time.

Denise from Ark was one of them and left some very interesting insights in the comments section. You should read them… after this of course. :-)

But the thing that made me sit up and take notice was her comment that she had cleaned houses for 20 years followed by her detailed “how-to” clean a bathroom quickly and efficiently, using only THREE paper towels! Sign me up!!

I was so impressed I asked her if she would mind if I shared her routine with all of you, and she was kind enough to agree. As I told her, I’ve never quite known how to go about EFFICIENTLY cleaning the whole bathroom at one time. I usually end up deep cleaning one area at a time because I don’t REGULARLY clean the whole thing.

I won’t even try to improve on what she wrote (not that it’s even possible…AMATEUR cleaner that I am)….except I am going to put it into list form for easy reference later. :-)

“How To Clean A Bathroom Like A Pro” by Denise in Ark….who, before beginning a well-deserved retirement, cleaned 15 to 20 bathrooms a week for 20 years!

Step 1. Swish the toilet with the toilet scrub brush, then prop the brush under the seat to drain. (Brilliant!)

Step 2.Spray the toilet (and brush) top to bottom with disinfectant. Let sit. (She doesn’t mention what kind of disinfectant…I personally use 1/2 water; 1/2 vinegar in a spray bottle. Vinegar is a great natural AND CHEAP disinfectant and deodorizer.)

Step 3. Using the same disinfectant, spray the sinks, faucets and counters.

Step 4: Spray the mirror and use a wet (but not drippy!) microfiber cloth and wash the mirror well. Leave it wet while wiping and rinsing the sinks and counters.(This is like the 3rd time this week someone has told me about cleaning with microfiber cloths! Must look into this further.)

Step 5: Wring the rag out really well and wipe up the excess water. First from the mirror, then from the sink. At this point everything should be dry enough that a wad of about 3 of the cheapest possible paper towels will buff a shine on everything (starting with the mirror and working down.)

Step 6:Go back to the toilet. Use some toilet paper to wipe anything crusty, nasty or hairy (her words! not mine!) and drop it back in the bowl. Then use the same now-damp paper towels to wipe the toilet, starting at the tank lid and moving down from “cleanest” to dirtiest. Flush. Drop the towels in the trash can and set the toilet brush down on top of them to let it drain some more.

Step 7:By the time you finish washing the shower (repeat steps 4 and 5), the brush will be dry enough that it won’t leave disgusting drippy water in the brush holder. (According to Denise, she has YET to clean even the *cleanest* house and not find a disgusting toilet brush holder. GUILTY!)

And there you have it…how to clean a bathroom like a pro!

I don’t know why…but for me it’s so helpful for someone to spell it out step-by-step like that. According to Denise, this technique goes so quickly that it’s what she does as regular daily housecleaning, which means that the bathroom doesn’t get counted on “housecleaning day” because it’s always in good shape.

One final tip from Denise: She keeps an old towel hanging in the bathroom to be used solely for wiping down the shower. When she gets out of the shower, she uses this towel to soak up most of the water and then grabs a hand towel to finish drying the walls. It takes about 30 seconds; dirt, minerals, and soap scum that might otherwise build up never get the chance, and the shower is never *not* clean. The towel then gets hung back up and used again until it’s time to wash a load of towels.

I’m tellin ya…this lady has got this whole thing dialed in! Thank you Denise! My family and bathroom thank you as well. :-)

ONE MORE….ONE GOOD THING…….

This was probably the tenth time I’d heard someone mention microfiber cloths for cleaning. Wait a minute….aren’t microfiber cloths for washing and drying your car?? Or wiping off your computer screen?

Not anymore!

I did a little research tonight…and you lucky readers are about the find out what all the hype is about!

Fabrics made with microfibers are exceptionally soft and hold their shape well. They clean and dust like magic. The miracle fibers pick up everything leaving your glass, mirrors, counter tops, furniture, etc., instantly clean and shiny! Microfiber towels can hold up to eight times their weight in water plus have an exceptional ability to absorb oils.(No wonder they are so popular for car maintenance!)

In many household cleaning applications (washing floors, furniture, etc.) microfiber cleaning fabrics can be used without detergents or cleaning solutions!

I know what’s on my shopping list today!

Now let’s go clean those bathrooms like PROS!

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I stopped using fabric softener in my washer and dryer sheets in the dryer when I found out I was alleergic to them. A friend told me she only uses white vinegar in her washer for softening puposes. It works and also reduces the soap scum that may be left behind. I started using a sheet of foil in the dryer during the winter months to reduce static cling. If you have a habit of setting your dryer on the hottest temperature you will have static much more frequently. Hot is good for cottons and towels, but not for every thing! Reduce the heat and use the foil to achieve best results. It may take a little longer to dry, but will be worth it in the long run. Fabrics that are prone to static should be still a little damp and then huung up to finish drying. I had problems with my wash cloths, towels, and kitchen towels smelling after they got damp with use. My solution is this: make sure you have your water heater set just above normal. This will reduce the threat of algae building up in the water heater. Also, clean your washing machine by adding two cups white vinegar, 1/2 cup borax and 1/2 cup baking soda and set your machine for the hottest water and the largest, longest wash (mine will go nearly 2 hours). This combination will remove any soap scum and will eliminate the smells that can build up in your washer. I do this at least once a month with my washer and it eliminated the smell every time. By the way I have a front loader, but it will work with a top loader too. Just clean all of the top edges of the tub where water typically doesn’t get before using the method I mentioned. The more you keep your washer clean, the less likely you will encounter this problem. NOTE: I leave my washer door and detergent drawer open for at least 24 hours aafter I finish washing for the day to allow drying of the inside.

Just a quick comment about the smelling of the washer. I had that horrible smell in my front loader for the longest time. I found some sites off of Pinterest that gave good advise about how to clean them, etc. So I did that and it still left a horrible, nasty smell. Then I even went as far as attempting to make my own laundry soap b/c I had read that it works better and doesn’t leave a residue in the washer (needless to say I didn’t get that far….read on…). Well, then one day my husband got the Tide Pods b/c it’s easier for my children to do laundry (not having to measure, etc.). Ever since then I haven’t had a SINGLE nasty smell in my washer! They clean well, smell nice and no more stinky smell in my washer. (side note: I, too, leave my washer propped open as well as the detergent drawer {that I don’t use anymore}. You may want to try those sometime. And as far as the foil in the dryer, I had never heard of such a thing. I will have to pass that on to my sister who lives in MT and their climate is very very dry, especially in the winter months. Good tip!! Thanks!

We use wool dryer balls in our dryer instead of softener sheets. They reduce static, cut down drying time and soften things so they are light and fluffy. Vinegar in the wash is fantastic and removes smells from clothing.

Microfiber clothes sound like a great idea, generally I make rags from my husbands old t-shirts that are too stained to wear anymore, but I will have to give the microfiber a try.

Thanks for all the fantastic ideas. Now off to the bathroom to clean…I may even time myself to see how fast I can get it done this way ;)

I went to Staples yesterday (yes Staples) and found microfiber “mitts” for $2.00 each. My dusting was done in half the time and I attached one to a telescopic pole secured with a rubber band and “de-cobwebbed” and wiped ceiling vents with no problem it worked great!!

Sam’s Club has GREAT prices on Microfiber cloths! I think it was something like $15 for something like 40 larger cloths the last time I bought mine, and they had several colors to choose from. Another thing, they also have what is called “shop rags.” My husband put me on to them and wow! Mechanics use them to get grime off stuff that won’t budge with paper towels. They have a rough texture and are great for washing dishes and scrubbing off just about anything! Of course, my husband teases me endlessly when I won’t let him just throw one away (that’s what they do in the shop). They are so cheap that if you do have to do an absolutely disgusting job with one of them, then you don’t have to feel bad about throwing it out!

Couple of clarifications: I left out that I flush the toilet while brushing, prop the brush under the seat, and then when I'm spraying the disinfectant I spray the brush as well so it gets disinfected, and then it's basically dry by the time I put it back in the holder.

I spray all of the way down to the floor around the toilet because that's the dirtiest part of the floor. The entire floor may not need to be mopped daily but the toilet probably needs to be wiped around. (It didn't take long of having my nose down in people's toilets to become adamantly opposed to carpet around the toilet. Just sayin'.)

You absolutely can use no paper at all. However, I do prefer using some disposables for particularly germy cleanup. The only reason for using paper to polish the mirrors and chrome is that I'm going to be using them on the toilet anyway. If they're a little damp they polish the porcelain on the toilet instead of streaking on the places where the disinfectant has dried.

The kind of disinfectant would be whatever you want – I've used Scrubbing Bubbles forever but only because it's the best soap scum buster I've ever found, and using it on the toilet as well as the shower just makes sense. Since I keep my own shower wiped dry so it never needs scumbusting, the vinegar solution on the toilet is fine.

I love using microfiber for cleaning, but I still use a scumbusting cleaner with it for a very selfish reason: if a shower only gets cleaned every week or two, it takes WAY too much work to scrub that amount of scum off with just the microfiber cloth. After the SB has set on the walls for a few minutes, it dissolves right off just by rubbing the VERY WET microfiber cloth over it. Shower heads on a hose are godsends; after cleaning the scum, it's so easy to rinse soap pieces and hair to the floor and then scoop them up off of the drain with another little piece of toilet paper and flush them away.

Rather than hanging guest towels, I leave them stacked on the bed wrapped in a ribbon (just my little thing to do) and tell them what the other towel is for, so they won't use it. BONUS: a couple of times the guest has wiped their own shower dry!!!!

I’ve been cleaning houses too, for about 9 years, and your system sounds great. I’m partial to Scrubbing Bubbles as well. One thing I usually do before I even start cleaning a bathroom is take the vacuum and sweep up all the hair, wherever they may be. (tub, sink, shower walls, clinging to the toilet etc.)I hate icky wet hair clinging to my rag!

I agree with all of your cleaning tips. Microfiber cloths are the BEST! I was a professional housekeeper for 13 years at a Best Western in the city I used to live in. We always used Microfiber cloths there. We used a vinegar and water mix on the mirrors and chrome, and an all purpose cleaner on the rest of the bathrooms. Once the entire bathroom was washed and dried, the entire bathroom floor was washed by hand with a terry cloth rag (old towel). Guests used to comment all the time about how fresh and clean their bathrooms were. Microfiber cloths are not only good for the bathroom, but for all areas of the house.

Question. Wouldn’t it be better to dispose of the hair into the trash instead of flushing? I try hard not to let any kind of hair go down the toilet so it won’t clog the septic system. Love this post and I love all the helpful hints and people sharing what products work for them. Thank you sooooo much!

As much as I love, love, love a clean house and especially the bathroom, I struggle in keeping it spotless. I'm a visual learner and never in my life have I been shown or taught nor read anywhere on how to clean a bathroom. I need to print your post out and hang it up on my refrigerator so that I can remember!! Thanks so much for posting :)

Thank you so much for this post. Now all I need is to type it up and laminate it so I can have the list handy when my kids clean their bathroom. i love all your ideas. I get my microfiber cloths from dollar tree 2 for a dollar. I found you on pinterest :)

Thanks for the step by step… Makes it not so overwhelming :) a company called Norwex has great microfiber clothes. Read About their products at Norwex.org. I have not had to but any cleaning products for six years because of them! I do use vinegar and baking soda just like my grandma use to use for cleaning. Love that cleaning is going back to all natural products and getting rid of all of the toxic chemicals that most use to clean with. I have to admit, it was difficult getting use to cleaning without chemicals. It doesnt have that chemical, toxic smell afterwards to make you think everything is clean. Clean should not have to smell:) thanks for your wonderful blog… I always look forward to reading your posts!

Beg to differ, the Norwex microfiber are very different. Yes they are expensive, but I have the cheap ones & the Norwex ones, no contest. Using microfiber is the only way I clean windows & mirrors, water, no cleaner & they sparkle! Leaves no streaks. No I am not a Norwex dealer, just a big fan!

I just started using these and they are great and I think worth the price. I had regular microfiber before and like these much better. They also have a two year guarantee. The lady I clean for even bought a set for me to use at her house. Love ‘em!

Yes, there the expensive microfiber cloths are worth it! I bought the shower one and wipe down the walls every day. The cloth one picks up most of the moisture and the glass one picks up the rest and shines the walls. I wash my windows with the glass one and it cleans better than anything I’ve ever used. I first wipe off the worst grime with vinegar and a paper towel (outside of windows – super dirty after several months) then spritz on water and wipe with the e-cloth. The great thing about good microfiber cloths is that you clean with just water and the super tiny fibers pick up bacteria, etc.

I love Norwex cloths! They are better than the cheap ones, because of the way the fibers are split. They are split way smaller than the other ones, which makes them clean wayyy better! The travel pack is great to use, just stick one in each bathroom and in the kitchen.

I also heard somewhere along my travels that Norwex cloths have silver in them too.
I just did a search before posting this comment and here is what it says on the Norwex.ca website: Norwex Microfiber Cleaning Products
Our line of cleaning products will save you time & money, improve health, and move towards creating a better environment. Norwex microfiber goes beyond “surface clean” with the innovative use of silver particles integrated into synthetic microfiber cloth.

Cleaning with water only produces a healthy outcome for us and the environment.

They may be more expensive, but I agree with those who say they are well worth the expense!

Found your blog on Pinterest and I love it. I, too, had difficulty with the site. I went to http://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com and the first page was blank. I tried three or four times before I finally got into the site. Then when I clicked on a link, the only thing that came up on the page were reader comments. There's truly a problem at your site. Maybe too many visitors at one time? It's clear you're a popular blog!

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